Spicy Tofu and Kickin' Chickpeas

I love a little spice! Ok I love a lot of spice, and often am guilty of having a heavy hand with the pepper. There I said it. Don't get me wrong though, this spicy tofu is just the right amount of kick to leave your tongue with a little bite but not on fire. 

The secret is in the sauce. This sauce gets its heat from sriracha (YES...Sriracha!) and a hint of sweet from agave. It's spoon-worthy. Yep, that means I could drink this stuff up with just a spoon! Next to my tofu I cooked chickpeas in the same spicy sweet sauce. I nestled my tofu and chickpeas on a bed of brown rice and BAM. There you have it. 

Alrighty first things first... Marinate, sauce, pan, oven. 

What does all of that mean? 

Well, first I marinated my tofu in soy sauce. Tofu soaks up all flavors so I wanted mine extra salty and full of flavor. Soy sauce seemed to do the trick. Also it's one of the ingredients in my homemade spicy sauce.

Ingredients for prep:

1 block of extra firm tofu (mine was already cubed since that was all I had on hand. If in a solid block then cut into preferred sized cubes. Big, small..doesn't matter!)

4 tbsp. (approx.) soy sauce 

While tofu is marinating in the soy sauce you can prepare the spicy sauce. Prepare yourself because like I said before, it's spoon-worthy. SO good. 

Ok ingredients for sauce are as follows (most are approximations so def do a taste test along the way):

1/4 c. Soy sauce

1/2-1 tbsp. Sriracha 

3-4 tbsp. champagne vinegar

1/4 tsp. chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 c. Water

2 tbsp. agave syrup

*Corn starch (for thickening)

*Vegetable broth (for thinning) 

Additional ingredients:

1 14 oz. can chickpeas; rinsed and drained

1-2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients except corn starch and vegetable broth. Put in a small pot over low heat stirring constantly. Once mixture starts to bubble and heat up gradually add corn starch (about 2-3 tbsp. corn starch) to thicken. Stir for another minute or until thick. Set aside. 

Now that the marinate step is done and so is the sauce step, it's time for "pan and oven". This is how I always cook my tofu. Why you ask? Well I am a texture freak and let's be honest tofu is probably made of the weirdest texture possible. I like my tofu to have a little crunch. By cooking for a few minutes in a pan on the stove top and then baking in the oven, my tofu comes out slightly crisp and delicious. 

Here's step by step for finishing up this spicy meal:

 

Directions:

Now take marinated tofu and place in a pan with extra soy sauce and a little extra virgin olive oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes stirring around. Add approximately 2-3 tbsp. of the spicy sauce (that we just made) to the tofu. Cook for approximately 2 more minutes. Save pan and set aside. 

Line a cookie sheet with foil and put tofu on pan. Top with approximately 2 tbsp. more of the spicy sauce drizzling on top. Pop in the oven for 5-7 minutes. Flip piece over and around and top with more of the sauce. Once back in the oven, bake for 5-7 more minutes. If you want even more crunch switch oven to broil and broil for a few more minutes. 

Using that same pan that we cooked the tofu in earlier, (the "pan" step) cook drained and rinsed chickpeas in 1-2 tsp. olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook stirring around for 3-4 minutes until beans are warm. Add remaining spicy sauce (yep, the famous sauce we made earlier). Stir around  to prevent sticking and clumping. I added broth to loosen up the mixture since the corn starch from earlier made it rather sticky and thick. 

Ok, FINALLY we are done. Sorry for getting Chatty Cathy.... I am just obsessed with how this meal turned out and am very excited for you to try it! 

Again, I topped a bed of brown rice with my chickpea mixture and tofu. I took it up another notch even by adding an extra drizzle of sriracha. Add some spinach and dig in. I'm telling you your taste buds will never be the same!!

Dig in,

~Crago